


The End of the Line

by bashfulpenguin



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Not Steve Friendly, Steve Rogers is an asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22549759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bashfulpenguin/pseuds/bashfulpenguin
Summary: Steve has a conversation with Bucky
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers
Comments: 17
Kudos: 105





	The End of the Line

**Author's Note:**

> Watch as I take out all of my anger at the Russo Bros. and Marvel at one Steve Grant Rogers. I'm sorry in advance...

“You know I love you right?” It was the first thing Steve said to him since the battle had ended. 

“I know,” Bucky said back. He couldn’t stop the sadness from creeping into the edge of his voice. He knew what was coming next. 

“As you know,” Steve started, taking a deep, shaky breath before he continued. “I’m worthy of wielding Mjölnir.”

Bucky nodded, sitting down on the couch in Tony’s, now empty, cabin. He could hear the pride in Steve’s voice and it only served to quicken his anger. 

“That means I’m going to need to go back in time and return some things.” Steve looked up hoping to meet Bucky’s eyes. 

Bucky just hummed, pretending to find the loose thread of the couch much more interesting than the conversation at hand. Maybe if he didn’t look at Steve he’d never have to sit through the conversation he knew was coming. 

He didn’t want to ignore Steve, not when he knew it was going to be the last time. But if he looked at him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it in anymore. 

“Bucky,” Steve said. “I-“

“No,” Bucky said, head shooting up to look at Steve, voice raspy from staying quiet for so long. “You don’t get to say my name. Not right now.” 

Steve just shook his head and tried to start over. “It’s been so long Buck. I miss her.” 

Tears started to sting the back of Bucky’s eyes, blinking them away he shook his head and got up from the couch. 

“Was it long without me?” He demanded. He knew the answer but he didn’t want to let Steve go without saying what he needed to. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he had spent too long doing what other people asked of him. He deserved to be selfish for once. 

“Of course it was!” Steve defended. “But it’s different with her.” 

“It always was,” Bucky muttered. “So what? You’re just done here? Just like that.” 

“You know that’s not fair. There’s just nothing left for me here,” Steve said with a small shrug. 

“Nothing left for you?” Bucky said, his voice shaking with anger. He felt a sharp laugh bubbling at the back of his throat and it was all he could do to swallow it down. “Nothing left? What am I then? What is Sam?” 

“You know what I mean,” Steve said, moving to put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. 

Bucky shrugged him off and turned away. “When you had nothing you had me. And what? You’re leaving me for a girl?” He said, spitting the words at Steve like they were poison in his mouth. 

He had always liked Peggy, he really did. But she had moved on, had lived a life without Steve Rogers by her side. Fulfilled by children, her own organization, and a marriage that wasn’t to Steve. It was time Steve took a page from her book and let the past go. 

“She’s not just a girl, Buck,” Steve said, his voice coming out small. 

“You knew her for a month for Christ’s sake!” He screamed again. It wasn’t fair. He’d known Steve for the better half of a century and yet Peggy was beating him out, even after everything. 

“You don’t get it!” Steve screamed back. “Tony and Nat are dead. There’s nothing left for me here.”

“Bullshit!” Bucky yelled, hot tears falling fast down his face. “You don’t think I loved them too? Tony gave me this fucking arm! Natasha was the one person in this century I could trust.” He gave Steve a calculating look. “Other than you. But look how that turned out.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Steve said, running his hands through his hair and sighing at the ceiling. 

“Oh I’m sorry,” Bucky mocked. “Did you break out of 70 years of brainwashing and torture for me? All to be rejected by a world leagues different than anything you had ever known; just to be abandoned at the first chance to go back to a hundred-year-old booty call? No! You don’t get to decide when being my friend is convenient to you Steve. So fuck off and go play house.” Bucky finished his rant and started to storm off. 

“You’re being selfish and unfair,” Steve called after him. 

“I’ll be sure to tell that to Sam, who rearranged his entire life to be around to help you with whatever the fuck you wanted to pull him into, whenever the fuck you needed him.” 

“Sam loved being an avenger!” 

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Just go, Steve. You clearly don’t want to be here as much as I don’t want you here. So it’s better if you just go.” By the time Bucky finished he was already to the door, hand on the knob ready to leave and be done with Steve. 

“To the end of the line?” Steve tried. 

Bucky paused where he was in front of the door, letting his hand drop to his side and squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears from falling- at least until he was out of Steve’s sight. 

He took a deep breath, interrupted by a hiccup from crying. “No, Steve. You made it pretty clear that it’s the end of the line.” 

He heard Steve try and say something but he didn’t stay long enough to hear it. He simply walked out the door and closed Steve Rogers and his entire life with him behind him. 

Throughout his dad’s alcoholic spurts, throughout the war, throughout Zola, and even throughout HYDRA, Bucky had Steve. No matter what anyone did he couldn’t be broken because he had Steve. And a childhood promise that carried throughout a century that Bucky had sworn he would never break. 

Despite everything that never broke him or that  _ stupid  _ promise, the last thing Bucky ever expected was for Steve Rogers himself to be what broke him. 

But as he stormed out of Tony Stark’s abandoned lake house, tears streaming down his face and violent sobs racking his body, Bucky only had one thought:

_ Fuck you, Steve Rogers.  _

  
  



End file.
